SUPERB SECOND PLACE FOR BMW MOTORRAD FRANCE
Back

SUPERB SECOND PLACE FOR BMW MOTORRAD FRANCE

BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent secured their first championship points of the season with a superb second place in today's 8 Hours of Oschersleben, the third and penultimate round of the 2013 Endurance World Championship.

SUPERB SECOND PLACE FOR BMW MOTORRAD FRANCE

 

Photo :

 

The team's three riders - Erwan Nigon, Sébastien Gimbert and Damian Cudlin - qualified second on the grid yesterday, after sacrificing one of their 20-minute timed sessions on both Thursday and Friday to work on race set-up. It was a strategy that paid dividends in today's race, with the #99 BMW S1000RR working faultlessly around the 3.696km Oschersleben circuit.

It was Nigon who got the race underway for BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent from second place on the grid, but the Frenchman had some work to do after struggling to get the bike started and only getting away in 15th position. Undeterred by the setback, Nigon got his head down and had worked his way back up to third place by the end of his first relay.

For the next five hours Gimbert, Cudlin and Nigon posted consistently fast laps while taking no risks aboard the #99 BMW S1000RR, as the team continued to turn the bike around at every rider change with faultless pit stops.

The consistency and speed of all three riders allowed them to close on the second placed YART bike, eventually passing the Yamaha as the race entered the final 90 minutes. Again, consistency paid dividends for the team, with the #99 BMW S1000RR crossing the finish line with a one lap advantage over YART, to claim second place and their first championship points of the 2013 season.

BMW Motorrad France Team Thevent head next to Le Mans, for the annual Pre-Mans test on 27 and 28 August, before returning to the Bugatti circuit for the 24 Heures Moto, the final race of the 2013 Endurance World Championship, on 21 September.

Erwan Nigon: "I'm happy with the result today, as the points we picked up here at Oschersleben are very important for both BMW and Michelin. I had some difficulties off the line because it took me a while to get the bike started and I finished the first lap down in 15th position. I had to work hard to get back up to third before handing the bike over, but I was happy enough with that. My teammates were incredibly good today and the team did a great job at the pit stops, which were fast and with no mistakes. Now we must work towards the final race of the season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where anything is possible."

Sébastien Gimbert: "We came here to Oschersleben to get a result for all the people who have worked so hard for this season, including my teammates, everyone in the team and everyone at Michelin, so I'm happy to finish on the podium today. We've made some big improvements with the bike since the Bol d'Or, which benefitted us here in Germany this weekend, but there is still work to do if we're to go to the final race of the season with the best overall package. So, while I'm happy with today's result, we must now carry this momentum into the biggest race of the year at Le Mans."

Damian Cudlin: "It's been a long time between drinks but it feels great to be back on the podium again. It was a tough weekend for all of us, but my team showed real spirit to fight back. It's true we were down, but as they say, it's not about whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up again. Today we did that and I'm really proud to have been a part of it."

Michael Bartholemy, Team Principal : "We came to Oschersleben looking to get some points on the board with a podium finish, and we achieved our goal today. This weekend has not been without problem, but all three riders, as well as everyone in the team and at Michelin, has worked hard for this result and I want to say a big thank you to them all for their efforts. We've got our first championship points on the board, but now we have to look ahead to the final race at Le Mans, where a good result would allow us to finish the season much closer to the top of the championship standings."

Official partners

Official suppliers

Media partner

All partners